1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an information input device, a position information holding device, and a position recognizing system, including these devices, for recognizing a position upon information input.
2. Description of the Related Art
Conventional computers are normally used as information processing devices. However, recent downsizing techniques for computers have remarkably advanced, and with the advent of lap-top computers, pen-input type computers, or palm-top computers, a person always carries and uses a computer nowadays. In such a situation, a computer is expected to be used as an information input (storing) device and an information output (reproducing) device.
Information input/output processing in a lap-top computer shown in FIG. 1 is realized by a set of a display device, a character input device, and a mouse-type pointing device. Referring to FIG. 1, the display device is used as input/output information display means, the character input device is used as character input means, and the mouse-type pointing device is used as means for designating an item in a menu displayed on the display device or image information input means.
In order to realize high portability in a computer, downsizing of a character input device is necessary. However, when the character input device is downsized, it becomes difficult to naturally input characters. For this reason, the portability of a computer is limited by the size of the character input device.
Thus, a pen-input type computer shown in FIG. 2 has been developed. Referring to FIG. 2, information input/output processing is realized by a set of an information input device obtained by integrating a display device and a position recognizing device, and a pen-type pointing device. In this case, since the pen-type pointing device is also used as character input means, no character input device is required, thus increasing the portability of a computer.
In the pen-input type computer, since the size of the display device must coincide with that of the position recognizing device, and the pen-input type computer must comprise both the display device and the position recognizing device, the portability of the computer is limited by the sizes of the display device and the position recognizing device. Furthermore, the display device and the position recognizing device having a large area and a high resolution require higher cost than that of other devices. In this case, the power consumption increases, and a battery becomes large, resulting in an increase in total weight of the computer, and a decrease in continuous operating time using the battery.
A palm-top computer comprising a compact display device and position recognizing device has been developed. However, since the palm-top computer has a small information input screen, it is difficult to naturally input information. Furthermore, since the palm-top computer has a small information input screen, displayed information is not easy to see if the display resolution is low. Even when the display resolution is high in the palm-top computer, if an A4-size document is displayed, characters are displayed in small size and not easy to see. These problems are directly associated with handiness of an information input device.
Therefore, the use of the palm-top computer is limited to an application for personal address information, schedule information, and the like.
The computer has two different output modes. The first output mode is an output mode for displaying already input information, and the second output mode is an output mode for confirming an input state upon input of information.
In the first output mode, when an importance is placed on the display area, an output device having a certain size is required, and a computer having such an output device is normally used in a specific place. Furthermore, when an importance is placed on portability, limitations on the output due to a compact size of the computer are easily compromised. This is because, in this case, fine output information which is more easy to recognize can be obtained by a large-scale output device, as needed.
In order to attain a flexible, natural information input operation in the second output mode, an information display screen and an information input screen having certain sizes are necessary. In addition, since information to be input may become at hand at any unspecified place, high portability is required. In order to accurately record input information, high display and input resolutions are required. This is because, in this case, information to be input is often transitory, and it is required to accurately record information at that instance. Therefore, in this case, in order to obtain an environment equivalent to that using an A4-size paper sheet, an A4-size output device is required, thus limiting portability.
As a conventional input device, a device called a tablet shown in FIGS. 3 and 4 is used.
In a tablet shown in FIG. 3, conductive lines are arranged in the x-y directions on the tablet. When a magnetic field is applied from a pen-type pointing device onto the tablet, an inducted voltage is generated in a conductive line at the position indicated by the pointing device, and x- and y-coordinate detecting circuits detect the x- and y-coordinates of that point based on the generated voltage, thus obtaining the absolute coordinates of the indicated position.
In a tablet shown in FIG. 4, pulse detecting circuits are arranged at least three out of four corners of the tablet. A pulse is applied to a predetermined position on the tablet using a pen-type pointing device, and a coordinate detecting circuit can detect the absolute coordinates of the predetermined position on the basis of a phase difference of signals from the pulse detecting circuits.
In order to allow a flexible, natural information input operation for a user, tablets having required information input areas and input resolutions must be selectively used in correspondence with situations. For this reason, it is preferable that various tablets be present everywhere, or a user carry various tablets. In this case, a reduction in cost of tablets and downsizing of tablets pose a problem.
As described above, in the conventional information input device, the information input device and the tablet must be integrated, and it is hard to realize an information input device having various input areas. Furthermore, when information is input using the pen-type pointing device, the input information must be displayed at the input position of the pointing device. Therefore, in the conventional information input device, since the input device, the display device, and the tablet must be integrated, it is difficult to realize an information input device having various input areas.
Therefore, paper and pens are used as normal portable information input media. An information input method using a paper sheet and a pen is natural to a user. On the other hand, an information input operation using a conventional computer makes a user conscious of the use of an electronic device, and handiness equivalent to that of an information input operation using a paper sheet and a pen is hardly realized.
In an information input operation using a paper sheet, a pen, an eraser, and the like, various operations are attained by using tools themselves, and such an operation is natural to a user in terms of explicitness of an operation. However, since various input operations and function selecting operations in an information input operation of a conventional computer are attained in accordance with a menu displayed on the display device, they have poor explicitness of an operation.
When a paper sheet and a pen are frequently used as information input media, it is required to input information written on the paper sheet to a computer. At this time, it is preferable that an information input operation to a computer be easily performed.
Conventionally, in order to input information recorded on a paper sheet to a computer, a scanning input device such as an image scanner must be used. The image scanner is large in size, requires cumbersome input operations, and is normally shared by a plurality of users. Therefore, it is hard to say that satisfactory conventional information input means is realized.
As described above, in the conventional information input device, the portability is limited by the sizes of the display device and the position recognizing device. When the display device and the position recognizing device are rendered compact, an inputtable information size is reduced, or a cumbersome input operation is required. In addition, when a high-resolution information input operation is to be realized, a high-resolution display device is required, resulting in high cost of the device itself. Furthermore, since various input operations and function selecting operations in the information input device are performed in accordance with a menu on the display device, the information input device has poor explicitness of an operation.
When information recorded on a paper sheet is input to a computer, an image scanner or the like must be used. However, since the image scanner is large in size, requires cumbersome operations, and is normally shared by a plurality of users, it is difficult to achieve an easy input operation.
As described above, since the conventional information input device makes a user conscious of the use of an electronic device, a satisfactory information input method can hardly be provided.
It is an object of the present invention to provide an information input device which has high portability and a wide information display screen and information input surface, allows an input operation and a function selecting operation having explicitness, and allows a natural information input operation by naturally coupling a paper sheet and the information input device.
More specifically, it is an object of the present invention to provide an information input device with high portability, in which information is input at an instance when information is written on a paper sheet as a display device with high portability.
The arrangement of the overall information input device according to the present invention will be briefly described below. That is, as shown in FIG. 5, an information input device 10 comprises an information writing section 11 for writing information on a writing medium, a position recognizing section 12 for obtaining the absolute position of the information writing section 11 on the writing medium, an information storing section 13 for storing information from the position recognizing section 12, the state of the information input device 10, and the like, a function selecting section 16 for selecting a function to be executed in accordance with an operation to the device or the inclination state of the device, and executing the selected function, and an access control section 14 for controlling accesses to the information storing section in accordance with the selected function.
The information input device also comprises an operating section 15, including buttons, switches, and the like, for detecting a mechanical operation, and supplying a detection signal to the function selecting section, or an inclination recognizing section 17 for recognizing the inclination state of the device itself, and supplying a recognition signal to the function selecting section 16. The device may also comprise an information display section 18 for displaying a selected function or a written image, and an information exchange section 19 for exchanging writing information with an external information device. Furthermore, when the information writing section 11 is used for the position recognizing section 12, position recognition with high precision can be attained.
It is effective to use the information input device 10 as a set with a position information holding device 25 or an information display device for displaying the operating state of the device or written image information. The position information holding device 25 includes a position information holding sections 26 (constituting a position recognizing system according to the present invention) each of which holds unique position information corresponding to its point on the device having a flat surface, and allows the position recognizing section 12 to read the position of a pen tip 60 by bringing the information writing section 11 to be close to (or into contact with) each position information holding section.
Alternatively, the position information holding device 25 may comprise an interface section for coupling information exchange sections 19 of a plurality of information input devices 10 and be used as a set with the information input device 10, thus allowing easy information transfer.
An information input device according to the invention includes an information writing section for writing information on a writing medium; position recognizing section for recognizing a position of the information writing section on the writing medium; and an information storing section for storing information obtained from the position recognizing section.
The information writing section includes: an acceleration sensor for detecting acceleration of the information writing section during writing; a first integrator for integrating the acceleration and calculating a velocity of the information writing section; and a second integrator for integrating the velocity and calculating a position of the information writing section. The information writing section further includes character recognizing section for recognizing a character written on the writing medium. The information writing section includes section for detecting a position of the information input device.
The position recognizing section includes section for determining a position which the acceleration sensor is activated is an origin.
The information storing section includes section for storing an information attribute code including width and density of a line and a writing information code which writing information is represented by code.
An information input device according to the present invention is characterized by further comprising: instruction section for giving instruction to perform a predetermined control; and control section for controlling the information storing section on the basis of an instruction of the instruction section.
An information input device according to the present invention is characterized by further comprising function selecting section for selecting predetermined functions on the basis of the instruction of the instruction section.
The instruction section includes at least one operating section and the control section has a plurality of access modes and includes section for controlling the information storing section according to the access modes.
The operating section includes section for turning on or off of the power source of the information input device. The operating section further includes section for changing at least one of width of line and density thereof. The operating section includes memory use amount setting section for informing to a user when an use amount of the information storing section is equal to or more than a predetermined value. The operating section includes UNDO pointer setting section for canceling information stored before a UNDO pointer is set. The operating section includes section for storing a desired writing information as one file. The operating section further includes section for adding identification information to the file. The operating section includes section for canceling all writing information.
An information input device according to the present invention is characterized by further comprising display section for displaying at least one of an access mode of the control section and an operating content thereof.
The instruction section includes inclination detecting section for detecting an inclination state of a body of the information input device.
The control section includes section for selecting one of a writing mode and an erasing mode on the basis of a detecting result of the inclination detecting section. The control section further includes section retrieving writing informants indicated by the information writing section on the basis of information obtained from the position recognizing section, stored in the information storing section.
An information input device according to the present invention is characterized by further comprising information exchange section for transmitting/receiving the writing information stored in the information storing section.
A position information holding device is characterized by comprising a plurality of position information holding section each having a position information which is different from each other. The position information holding device is formed into a sheet-like shape and is capable of dividing a plurality of the position information holding devices each including a plurality of the position information holding sections and using each divided position information holding device.
A position recognizing system including a pen-like shape information input device and a planar position information holding device, is characterized in that the position information holding device includes position information holding section for holding a plurality of position information, and the information input device includes: section for detecting a position information, which is held by the information holding device, specified by a pen tip of the information input device; section for obtaining an absolute position of the pen tip on the planar position information holding device according to a detected position information; and section for storing the obtained absolute position as a trace information of the pen tip.
The plurality of position information include different position information from each other. The plurality of position information further include a plurality set position information, which includes a predetermined number of the position information and is different from each other.
An information input device is characterized by further comprising display device for displaying motion state of the information input device and writing information.
The information input device further includes information exchange section for transmitting/receiving writing information among a plurality of the information input devices, and the position information holding device further includes interface section for connecting a plurality of the information exchange section of the information input devices.
The position information holding device includes section for differentiating combinations of adjacent position information in entire position information holding device.
According to the present invention, since the information writing section 11 allows a writing medium such as a paper sheet to be used as an information display screen, it can provide an information display screen which is not limited by the size of the information input device 10 to a user. At the same time, the position recognizing section 12 can realize an information input region which is not limited by the size of the information input device 10. Thus, the information input device 10 which has a wide information display screen and information input region, and high portability can be provided. When the information input device 10 is used together with the tablet-type position information holding device 25 as an external device, the size and cost of the position information holding device 25 can be reduced. Thus, a portable information input system having various information input regions can be provided.
Information written on a writing medium can be input to the information input device 10 by the information storing section for storing information from the position recognizing section 12, and the access control section for controlling the information storing section.
An information input operation with explicitness can be attained by the function selecting section for selecting a function to be executed in accordance with an operation to the information input device or the inclination state of the information input device, and executing the selected information, the operating section 15 for detecting a mechanical operation, and supplying a detection signal to the function selecting section, the inclination recognizing section for recognizing the inclination state of the device itself, and supplying a recognition signal to the function selecting section, and the information display section for explicitly displaying the selected function or the operating state of the device. Therefore, according to the present invention, the information input device 10, which can perform an information input operation with explicitness, can be provided.
According to the present invention, the information input device which can automatically store information normally written on a paper sheet, and has high operability and portability, and the position information holding device can be provided, and the position recognizing system which can easily and effectively recognize the position upon input of information can also be provided.
Additional objects and advantages of the present invention will be set forth in the description which follows, and in part will be obvious from the description, or may be learned by practice of the present invention. The objects and advantages of the present invention may be realized and obtained by means of the instrumentalities and combinations particularly pointed out in the appended claims.